Benefits of being off weed

Here's one I appreciate on the subject of music. It's very hard to sing in tune or tune a guitar when stoned. I used to be in a band an d we were all permastoned and tuning could take forever. Having given up the deceptive weed all of that problem has dissappeared now.

(It's been a year since I posted here - I gave up my chronic addiction Oct24 2005 after 7 years but I still read to keep me going sometimes. I slipped earlier in the year but am now 'clean' again. Let's face it: weed is a terrible drug and no-ones friend.)

Ha ha! I agree about the tuning instruments thing! You pluck the note, and look across at the puzzled look on your buddy's face as he tries to get his guitar in tune. A process that normally takes all of 2 minutes dragging out for 10 (and still not quite right).

Here we always thought cannabis was 'enhancing' our creativity. After listening back (straight) to some super-stoned recordings that we had thought sounded unbelievable at the time, we began to question what we had been thinking.

That plant seriously messes with your head!

Keep the benfits coming! It is great to remind us all of the positives we gain from quitting rather than dwelling on the bad patches.

here i am again i last looked at this site in July and was truely inspired but for some reason probably due to being stoned more often than not i have not posted how i have been doing.
I now feel more positive like i could actually go a week without smoking.
i tried to get my frame of mind right for this day yestersday started with a sunday morning spliff followed by a sleep then i got up and did an early morning clear out which lasted all day, i think it is psychological from clearing out setting up things i need to do e.g got all my gym clothes out.
i smoked my last spliff last night and woke at 4am this morning feeling anxious about going without this week.
however its now 8pm and i dont have any and dont plan to buy. instaed i am planning what i will do tom this will involve going to the gymn i have gained 2 stone since smoking which has really made me feel worse, although i have expensive gym membership i do not use this.
I have tried various strategies to stop i go to an addiction centre but i know the only person who can help me quit is ME!

i have changed my frame of mind and i plan to go all week without and go to the gym 4 times this week starting tom AM providing i can sleep well tonight.

sorry if i am boring anyone but as i am sure you are aware i am trying to put myself under pressure to change,

i have a good job and money and i dont want to make the same newyears resolution 2 years in a row i need to gain control of this addiction by a least cutting down permanelty i cant think of quitting for ever but at least going a few days will ensure that i actually will do this.

looking at all the posts i feel jealous of all these people who have not smoked for months weeks or even days but hopefull i will at least manage this week only 5 days.

instead of being negative i want to feel inspired by these people.

i often feel guilt about all the time i have wasted the weight i have gained and the financial hardship i have endured i was recently declared bankrupt but i am determined to focus on the positives and think of a brighter future.

Anyone who thinks cannabis is not a problem e.g. my friends who still smoke are in denial it affects your mind and for me limits my abilities i have achieved a good qualification and landed a good job but it took me double the time to get this job as i lacked motivation and confidence to believe in myself all due to weed.

i want to leave this on a good note and let people know its all a state of mind and things can change greatly if you just believe you can change what you want to.

so here i go again, this has helped me work out my thoughts and help me keep focused for the very long week i am about to endure thinking of cravings and romancing this addiction.

my main reason for this quit day is last week i told someeone at work i felt like knocking them out i think this was a mood swing i feel the need to gain a better control of my life and my emotions in particular so here is to the future. good luck to all th potential quitters

It sounds like you are finding your motivation once again! I liked the part in your post about not focusing on feeling guilty about wasted time or gained weight. The main thing is, you have decided to make a change. I can relate to not wanting to make the same New Year's resolution multiple times, as I did that myself for, oh . . . about 10 years!

Here you are. You've got a plan, and a positive focus. It will be great for you to make it past your first goal of going 5 days without.

I've been off the weed for 13 days today!! YAY! Two weeks tomorrow!
That is an awesome achievement for me, I could never have done it before.

The thing is, that I dont really seem to be having any benefits yet at all. My dreams have come back stronger, but I still dreamed when I smoked. I dont really feel much clearer in my head. The worst part is that I still wake up every morning feeling crappy, and it continues for most of the day. I feel a kind of ache in my head, the same as I did if I just took one day off.

It's annoying, I'm not going to start smoking again, but I wish it would go away!
Does anyone else have a similar experience? I know it's only been 13 days, but I was hoping to feel a bit better by now!

Am I expecting too much too soon? Is there anything I can do to help? Excersising makes me feel worse, in that the aches intensify. I still excersice, but thats annoying too!

I've been off the weed for 13 days today!! YAY! Two weeks tomorrow!That is an awesome achievement for me, I could never have done it before.

The thing is, that I dont really seem to be having any benefits yet at all. My dreams have come back stronger, but I still dreamed when I smoked. I dont really feel much clearer in my head. The worst part is that I still wake up every morning feeling crappy, and it continues for most of the day. I feel a kind of ache in my head, the same as I did if I just took one day off.

It's annoying, I'm not going to start smoking again, but I wish it would go away!Does anyone else have a similar experience? I know it's only been 13 days, but I was hoping to feel a bit better by now!

Am I expecting too much too soon? Is there anything I can do to help? Excersising makes me feel worse, in that the aches intensify. I still excersice, but thats annoying too!

Any ideas? Thanks in advance,Edgy

yes i feel the same.. had dreams before and still have weird dreams now, i get pains in my head too, and i still feel crappi and groggy in the mornings too...
but i think its one of those things, that happens so slowly, you dont notice the change... so give it more time.... and youll start noticing changes...
and yes i still find exercise annoying haha
well done on the 2 week mark.. doing good!

The benefits set in gradually. It is totally dependent on the individual. I smoked for a long time (over 20 years), but I did not smoke all day every day. I started to feel some benefits early: easier to get out of bed, dreaming, less paranoid thoughts, less anxiety. I would say that the benefits started rolling in around the two week mark. The first month was tough!!! I struggled with all of the lame symptoms of detox, but the worst had to be feeling lethargic (almost zero energy!), depression, cloudy thinking, etc. (Remember that I am trying to stay positive here!)

After one month off I was doing very well. Things definitely got better after I started doing things to keep me busy. I suggest making a list of EVERY possible thing you might enjoy doing, and start doing those things.

Every day I think of new things to occupy my time, and the benefits have definitely outweighed the negatives. It has been hard work, and I do have to check my list now and then to "pump myself up" again and remind myself that going back to daily smoking of weed is not going to benefit me in the long run.

I guess it comes down to looking at what I want to do with my life. What are my biggest goals and dreams, and how do I get there? I was lucky to have a long record of journals (10 years worth) that showed me just how many times I had tried to cut back or quit.

Please list at least a few things, benefits, that you have noticed (even if it's a stretch for you to be positive during the early phases).

Amazing work all of you who have been able to quit for days or weeks! Quitting any habit is hard work!

After about a month I started to notice more inspiration, less anxiety, a clearer mind, and better communication skills. Instead of focusing on the "quitting", focus on creating a new lifestyle. Bible reading really helped me begin the internal change I so desperately needed. Like a previous poster mentioned, "believe and you will recieve". Alot of people don't take this advice seriously. They're like "yeah right." Don't take this simple truth with a grain of salt. When you have faith that your circumstances will get better, and believe that everything is working for your greater good, things tend to follow that same pattern. It's not science, it's faith. Which is much stronger.

Also, keep in mind that weed is oil based. It can stay in your system for up to three months. If things aren't getting better after two weeks, that's normal. I went two weeks one time and felt like I hadn't accomplished anything. The benefits are gradual and start becomming more noticable after a month to a month and a half. Some people continue to improve over the course of year. That should give you an idea of how gradual the change is. At least we know it does get better.

Stay positive!!! Cause that's the only way. Worry, doubt, and confusion don't make anything better. Trust God to pull you out of the hole. Which I'm sure He has already started doing. Obviously...

Peace.

Last edited by rise_above on Thu Oct 12, 2006 7:30 pm, edited 1 time in total.

i think it depends how much you smoke initially the more you smoked per day the longer it might take to get it out your system ? but its just a theory so be patient.
i still feel abit tired in the morning but i am awake properly within an hour or so i feel better but just fom the fact i know i did another day without.
where as before when i smoked the night before (all those 4 days ago!! )it would take from waking at 8am until 3 pm until i felt okayish and even then my head was fussy.
So just wait for the benefits to kick in as it will happen soon, i bet your more alert etc already?

i feel better already although i know i might smoke tom 'cause its friday poor excuse i know but it is the only thing thats got me through the week.
i'm still undecided if this is actually control, but at least im trying i guess. If i do smoke tom there will be draw backs e.g i may /will want to carry on smoking next week and will find monday hard again so im not sure if im making the smoking issue easier or worse as i just find it more gratifying (sorry if that bits not encouraging just the truth.)
I find it harder if i have had a bad day like today where i have had my car vandilised again for 3rd time in 2 weeks !
but trying not to use smoking as a coping mechanism helps and not finding excuses to smoke would also help me e.g the 'its the weekend!'

Good luck and keep it up hope i can do as well as you.

Also Thanks waking life your a great help ,glad i found this site its the best thing on the net!!

I am so glad that others are gaining benefits from this site! I know that hearing the stories of others, and sharing my story, has been the reason I have successfully been off of cannabis for 82 days!

The list of benefits might seem a bit overwhelming to someone first checking this thread, so I thought of an activity you can try. Get out a blank sheet of paper and a pen. Think off all of the different areas of your life in which you would like to see improvements. (Examples are listed below) Then put words or phrases branching off of these that relate to the positive results of quitting cannabis. I am in education, and this activity is known as a ‘mind map’ or ‘web’. You can add more to your mind map each day, or pull it out and look at it when you are struggling. It is basically a list, with the benefits grouped into categories so you can “see” and remember the benefits more vividly.

Here are some categories and sub-categories of benefits that I can think of:
Mental/Psychological
Emotional
Physical
Spiritual
Social
Anxiety & Coping Skills
Self-Esteem
Family Relationships
Goals
Dreams
Professional

Another dimension to this is to draw lines showing which areas are connected, to visually express how they all inter-relate.

Get Creative! Do different colours for different areas, sketch images, go 3-D, let your inner wisdom out onto the page. I think you'll be amazed at what you see.

hi everyone, ive just recently come across this site and was amazed their are so many people out thier who are feeling the same as me. walkinglife thank yo for your insparation your words are are like music to my ears. Its very difficult for me to right this as i am having prob the hardest day yet and simply typing is proving difficult.
my story is....
ive been smoking since te age of 13 im now 23 ive been chrobic for about 3-4 years. Ive tried to give up countless times but as soon as the stress of life gets to much i go back. Ive now reached the stage where i cant take it anymore im fed up of all the negetives that comes with smoking weed. Just like walkinglife i have kids and not being able to do the things i no i have to gets me even more depessed, i find the temptation of being around myfamily and freinds who use weed to much so what ive done is gone o stay with a relative who doesnt use and she lives miles away from nearest dealer. my plan is to go through the withdrawels withthe support of my none smoker aunt is now day 3 and i miss my kids and partner so much, the one thing that keeps me going isthe knowledge that i WILL be the dad ive always dreamed of being, i WILL be the husband my partner deserves but i think more importatly(not 2 be selfish) i WILL be the man i no i have living inside me ,somewhere behind the clouds of weed filled thoughts is this happy energetic loving caring spiritual man im determend to find. With the help of this forum i know i can do it. the life ive always wanted is right under my nose and its about time i started to live it.. ps please excuse my gramer it will improve as the days go by....................

i ll give you some advice try not to have it again, make the 3 days 4 and so on try not to slip, as i have discovered once you do you just go back to square one again, at least it has for me i thought i will go a week without mon to fri that is.
well fri came and i couldnt get none so i had to get skunk dont like that messes with your head more and its stronger, anyway i dont know why i did that big mistake.As i wasnt yearning for it really just i had promised myself to get me through the week.
next time i decide not to smoke i will not think i'll just have one on the weekend cause like a true addict, i have lapsed through to wed i planned to stop again sunday and now i am back in the cycle of trying to quit but thinking i will do it tom.

i really like your plan of staying away from people who smoke that will work i wish i had the courage to tell my non smoking family that i have a prob as i might get the support you are getting which is what we addicts need a dose of how people live without needing a spliff every few hours!

keep up the good work and if you are thinking of relapsing remember you have come far 3days is a long time so just keep up the good work as if you lapse it will be harder to try again.

meeshi25 thanx for your encouragement it REALLY means alot, I totaly agree with what you say about us weed addicts needing to ask for help. I found this the hardest thing to do. It was really embarassing for me to admit what i was up to, as my family always thought of me as the strong one. One thing i did realise is, even the strong ones need to ask for help. I always felt so alone in dealing with the temptress (weed) but now the first hurdle is out the way and i now see there are people willing to help me. What i would say is dont be embarassed dont be ashamed people need help in life and when im strong again i can be the one giving the help to those who need. Ive decided thats the circle i want to be involved with instead of the the vicious circle ive been involed in for the last few years.I dont know if any of you have seen the film trainspotting where a herion addict manages to get off and stay off.. at the end of the film he has a great line where he says "I CHOOSE LIFE" well you know what i choose life, im choosng to live it, feel it, breath it, participate in the joy of life being free from the un-natural thoughts that the weed puts in my head. 4 days now without even the sniff of a joint, dont get me wrong the its hard as hell but im loving my new found strenth just a few short months ago i would never have dreamed of comming on a site like this let alone write anything, but here i am and i dont regret a word or a second typing. ive already had one of the biggest benefits i could have i went kickboxing 2nite just for an hour like but it was incredible exercise brilliant ! im gona go again on sunday then next week. thats going to be my reward for getting through the week instead of the bag of sh!te i would normaly promise myself when i was cutting down. meeshi25 try 2 find yourself a new reward i no its hard i used to say to myself "well what else is there for me to do on a fri or sat, what do i have to look forward to" till i realised happyness wont find me i have to look for it and look hard and thats what im gona do, take baby steps 1 hour exersice a week might not seem much but it a start. who nose what ill think of 2morrow but now im weed free-ish ( apart from whats left in my system) im actually giving myself the chance 2 think of something.... be strong take care..........

First of all I just want to say Google is your friend.. I found this site by searching for "last bowl" weed.

I am very inspired by a lot of the stories I am reading here, and would be so glad to be accepted into your membership!

I have tried to find help on the internet for dealing with my pot addiction but nothing like this has ever came up until right now. Real people, going through the same addiction as me, in real time. When I noticed the posts and replies were recent dates, it was like stumbling into a room full of people talking my language.

I'm 31 years old and I've been chronic for about 10 years now. A few months back I was on a nice stretch of abstaining from use for about 3 motnhs. Then a business trip came up and I scored some from a friend to smoke during the boring hours at the hotel. I wasn't prepared for how hard I was about to relapse and now I'm worse than ever. I am smoking during different times of the day, even in the morning before work I will have a few pulls off the pipe. At night, I get high when I get home and since my wife is busy, I'm able to just sit on the computer (which is another one of my addictions) and zone out on forums and games. It's a real Jeckyll & Hyde situation, as I have a great job and am well educated. No one in my immediate family other than my wife knows the power that my marijuana addiction has over me.

How I ended up here is not important, it's that I did! Can't wait to spend more time here.[/b]